by Maria Allen (This post originally appeared on The Cast Blog on August 10th, 2010)
I've just returned from two weeks unpaid leave in Rwanda where I was a volunteer on the Conservative Party's annual social action initiative, Project Umubano, that was established four years ago by Andrew Mitchell, now the Secretary of State for International Development. Stephen Crabb, a Government Whip, led this year's 50 volunteers made up of politicians, journalists, Party staff and people working in the public and private sectors.
As a member of the Party with an interest in international development, I took part in the 'community project,' which aimed to teach survivor NGOs, established after the 1994 genocide, about communications, leadership and fundraising skills. But what possible use could there be to Rwandan genocide survivors, fighting to have their own homes, from the Burson-Marsteller Message House?
I asked myself the same question when I arrived at the airport at 5am with my backpack en route to Kigali two weeks ago but by the end of my trip I was struck by the powerful contribution that the survivor NGOs felt that external communications could play.
Although it is only sixteen years since the atrocities of 1994, these NGOs are struggling to be heard. The Government's heart-strings are pulled in many directions – the country's economy is significantly propped up by aid and 90% of the population subsist on less than two dollars per day. Yet continued support and funding for the genocide victims both at home and abroad is crucial if the country is to thrive as a whole. Good NGO external communications is therefore key.
I was tasked with developing communications workshops for eight of the main survivor NGOs. It was interesting to learn that many of the needs of the organisations were the same as several of my clients: to raise their profiles, build alliances and generate awareness, understanding and support for their issues. The political landscape, however, could not be more different. Two of the leading political opponents to the President were recently assassinated in the run up to today's election and many of the main free newspapers have been shut down. While on the increase, access to the internet still remains limited and unreliable, making online communications a challenge. Yet despite this I was immediately taken with the enthusiasm the NGOs had for developing their comms capabilities and investing their often very stretched resources into this activity.
As with all good comms workshops the sessions focused on message development with training also on stakeholder mapping, how to write a comms plan and fact sheet creation. My francophone abilities were put to the test by some of the French speakers but the impact of the 'maison de message' was aussi forte as ever.
I was told before going on the project that I would get more out of the trip than I would put back in. I was not disappointed. Although I was meant to be doing the teaching, I learnt an incredible amount. The courage, determination and strength of the people who I met, many for whom the memories of the genocide are inescapable, was astonishing and something I'll always remember. A once in a lifetime opportunity certainly, but in fact it will not be the last with plans for next year's trip already being hatched before the plane home had even landed.
To find out more or to support survivors of the genocide through Survivors Fund (SURF) please see: http://www.survivors-fund.org.uk/ or http://tinyurl.com/surfdonation
Maria Allen is an Associate in our Public Affairs Practice in London.